Monopoly Board Game Gets a Cat Token Thanks to the Internet

Leave it to the Internet to bring its obsession with cats to the classic board game of Monopoly.

Hasbro, the published or the Monopoly board game, started a campaign last month on its Facebook page to vote out one of the old game pieces and introduce a new one. The token to get removed from the game was the iron, a token that had existed since the original patent was submitted in 1935.

And the winner to take its place? A cat.

Oh, Internet. Why are we not surprised?

The other options were a diamond ring, guitar, helicopter and a robot. The last one was probably the only one with a real shot against the cat, but seeing as LOL Cats are still a prominent meme on the Web, the outcome was inevitable.

The cat token is expected to replace the iron in mid to late 2013, so if you want to get the last run of the retiring piece, you may want to head out to the stores soon.

It could have been worse. A strip of bacon could have been put up as a suggestion and then we all know what would have happened.

Monopoly Fans Worldwide Decide Cat Token Will Make Purr-Fect Addition to Classic Game

Iron Gets Flattened After Fans Fail to Save the Classic Token

PAWTUCKET, R.I.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The next MONOPOLY game token to 'Pass GO!' and collect $200 will be…the cat! After a month of voting on Facebook, and an overwhelming response from fans and organizations from 185 countries around the world, the cat has been chosen and will become the newest addition to the classic game from Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS). The cat was able to scratch past the toy robot, guitar, helicopter, and diamond ring in the MONOPOLY "Save Your Token" campaign by receiving 31 percent of the fan vote.

In the vote to decide which classic tokens would be 'saved' by fans, the Scottie dog was a clear early favorite, eventually securing 29 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, supporters of the iron, wheelbarrow and shoe campaigned vigorously to save their favorite token from a lifetime in jail and ensure it would remain in the game. After a very close race, fans weren't hot for the iron. With only 8 percent of the vote, the iconic token fell behind the wheelbarrow and the shoe and will be pressed out of service from the MONOPOLY game for good. Despite being an integral part of life when the token was added to the game in the 1930s, the iron has fallen out of favor with today's fans and will be retired from the game.

Hasbro will begin to replace the iron with the new cat token on the MONOPOLY production lines immediately, so those who want to continue to play with the iron and the seven other classic tokens have a limited time to pick up the existing version of the game. The new MONOPOLY game featuring the cat token will arrive on store shelves in mid to late 2013.

"We know that cat lovers around the world will be happy to welcome the new cat token into the MONOPOLY game," said Eric Nyman, senior vice president and global brand leader for Hasbro Gaming. "While we're a bit sad to see the iron go, the cat token is a fantastic choice by the fans and we have no doubt it will become just as iconic as the original tokens."

Hasbro held the MONOPOLY "Save Your Token" campaign on Facebook from January 9 through February 5, 2013. Fans can visitFacebook.com/Monopoly to bid farewell to the iron and view additional MONOPOLY "Save Your Token" campaign content.